The Three Legged Stool of Anglicanism
It has long been said that Anglican Theology is based on three principles. These are Scripture,Tradition and Reason. The Puritans in the 16th century proclaimed that Scripture was the supreme authority. While Richard Hooker in his Ecclesiastical Polity answered that Scripture must always be read in the light of tradition and reason.

Scripture

As has been discussed earlier, a complete Bible was published in English in 1535. This made the ure accessible for both public and private reading. Archbishop Cranmer in framing The Book of Common Prayer, used the reading of Scripture in the canticles and prayers, as well as including the daily reading of the Psalms with both the Old and New Testaments.

Each time we celebrate the Eucharist we retell the marvelous acts of God working in human history.

Article VI of the Thirty Nine Articles in The Book of Common Prayer reads:

Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. (BCP, pg.700)

Holy Scripture is considered the basic authority for Anglicans.

Tradition

Tradition is the collective wisdom of the church. It is what the church has received and taught through the centuries. We believe that Scripture and tradition should go hand in hand.

The Bible comes to us through the church. It was the people of God who determined the canon of Scripture, that is, which books of the many that had been written. It is the Church that interprets Scripture. The books of the Bible reflect the lives of faith communities throughout the ages. Our faith community then interprets our story with the story of the Bible. We use the Bible within the liturgy and daily life of our community through prayer to shape the community itself. The Church uses Scripture to define, reform and guide the doctrine of the living church.

Our understanding is further guided by the ancient creeds (belief) of the early church to help us understand how by both using the story of the Bible and the exploration of Christians of Faith throughout the ages we can understand the Trinity and the life of Jesus the Christ.

For Anglicans, this faith is always being examined and developed to reflect a faith that is alive for the present age.

Reason

Anglicans work at studying both the Scripture and exploring the Tradition of the Church in order to respond in faith to the world around us. Anglicans tend to not use a literal interpretation of Scripture but use a scholarly approach to a deeper understanding. Throughout the history of the church we have not always agreed; however we struggle together to support a robust and open approach to our faith.

The lectionary ensures that we read all of the Bible and not just our favourite passages.

Anglicans believe that God has given us reason and judgment in order to ask the questions that will make us grow into whole people who will act upon what God is calling us to do.